The present invention relates to a surgical implant and method for imparting stability to the thoraco-lumbar spine.
Significant instability and deformity of the thoraco-lumbar spine may result from fracture dislocation as well as localized spinal involvement with malignant tumor. Also, surgical efforts to relieve spinal cord compression caused by tumor may increase such instability. Heretofore distraction and compression rods, such as the Harrington instrumentation, and more recently Luque rods with segmental spinal instrumentation, have been used for imparting stability to the damaged spine. Luque rods were originally designed for use with segmental spinal instrumentation in the correction of severe scoliotic curves over many spinal segments, normally numbering twelve or more, rather than more localized areas of six to ten segments.